Toy gun



March 8, 1966 H. D. JONES ET AL 3,239,225

TOY GUN Filed Aug. 1, 1962 HEARL D- J'ONES PAUL E. SN/DER INVENTOR.

BY Mayw United States Patent 3,239,225 TOY GUN Hearl D. Jones, 114 N. 29th St., and Paul E. Snider, 2616 Alanmede Road, both of Louisville, Ky. Filed Aug. 1, 1962, Ser. No. 214,108 2 Claims. (Cl. 273101.2)

This invention relates to toys, and more particularly, to toy guns.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a toy gun for small children which is absolutely safe under all circumstances of play, and, at the same time, possesses the novel appeal to adventure that simulated firearms always connote.

The body of the gun and most of its component parts can be advantageously manufactured from plastic or a similar material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a toy gun comprising a minimum number of working parts. It will, consequently, lend itself to the most inexpensive cost of production. The simplicity of design ensures its durability in play-time fun. In design, the target, traced on a thin sheet of clear plastic, and moved laterally by pivoting the forearm of the gun, is never out of sight of the young marksman. He can, however, miss the target by failure to center the target accurately before firing. Another plastic sheet carries only a projectile spot which pivots from a horizontal position when in firing position, to a vertical plane when in fired position. Too, the present invention features a scope, which may be a dummy with no magnification whatever.

Another unique feature of the present invention is that, upon firing, the target position is automatically locked in place; a tooth on the forward side of the visualprojectile assembly registers with one notch in a toothed series mounted radially on the rear extremity of the target mechanism. Thereby, upon firing, each marksman can show his rivals just where he hit. The target will not move until the gun is re-loaded.

In the accompanying drawing, several embodiments of the invention are shown:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional elevation showing the trigger assembly, the visual-projectile assembly, the target assembly, and the scope.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional plan view showing the visualprojectile assembly in fired position, the unique method of locking the target in fired position, and the pivoting forearm which moves the target.

FIGURE 3 is a partial sectional elevation showing the curved transparent target sheet. It shows, too, the relative positions of the target sheet and the projectile sheet in fired position. This view also shows the loading bolt, which is made monolithic with the visual-projectile (loading) assembly.

FIGURE 4 is a rear sectional elevation showing the scope, and, therein, the target, the visual-projectile spot, and the tooth and notch method of locking the target in fired position.

Referring to the drawing, wherein like numerals indicate like parts, it can be seen that, in operation, the bolt is pulled down until the projection 16, on the projectile assembly, impinges on the underneath side of the sear 18 on the trigger assembly, at which time the spring 22 is in tension. The gun is now in firing position. To fire, the trigger 17 is pulled, at which time the projection ice 16 is released, spring 22. is activated, and, at once, the visual projectile assembly 11, including the bolt 15, the projectile sheet 12, the projectile spot 13, the lock tooth 14, is pivoted about the bolt 20. This returns the visual-projectile assembly to fired position.

During firing, the target sheet 7, with the target superimposed thereon, is pivoted about the retaining ring 9 by turning the forestock to right or left (at the discretion of the young marksman). The target sheet 7 is rigid on the projection 6 of the pivotal target assembly. The teeth (notches) 8 also on the projection 6, serve to lock the target assembly in fired position by registration of the tooth 14, rigid on the front of the visual-projectile body 11. Please note that the trigger return spring 21 returns the trigger assembly 17 and 18 (monolithic), pivoting it about the bolt 1?.

Please note that in FIGURE 2, the forward section of the scope 3 is expanded to accommodate the lateral movement of the target sheet, which could contain a number of small targets. FIGURE 4.

Please note that, in firing, nothing ever leaves the barrel 2 of the gun. Looking through the scope, the child will see the target in open view in simulated natural surroundings. Upon firing, he will observe the projectile spot register a direct hit or score a near-miss before his very eyes. The projectile spot popping into superimposition on the target backdrop, looks amazingly realistic, it hardly seems possible that it is merely a spot on a transparent sheet of plastic. The only function of the pivotal forearm 5, contained by the rear barrel 2, is to move the target sheet across the scopes field of view. This gives the illusion of a naturally moving target. The stock 1, not fully developed in the drawing, is of conventional design.

While the foregoing description sets forth the invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that numerous changes in shape, size, and materials may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a toy gun, a visual-projectile assembly, a scope expanded through its mid-section to accommodate the lateral movement of a self-contained moving target, said visual-projectile assembly comprising a sheet of transparent plastic, said sheet containing a spot, said sheet so mounted as to pivot from a horizontal position to a vertical position through a plane containing the longitudinal plane of said scope, said plastic sheet held in a horizontal position by the guns trigger assembly, and, when released (fired), springing into a vertical position whereupon said spot is visible through said scope, and superimposed therein on said moving target; said selfcontained moving target comprising a pivotal forestock, said forestock pivoting through a horizontal plane about a retaining ring mounted in the body of the gun proper, said forestock offset upper and projecting into the body of the gun to the rear of the pivot point, the rear end of said projecting forestock carrying a curved sheet of transparent plastic, said plastic sheet mounted in a vertical plane perpendicular to the plane of said pivotal forestock, said plastic sheet bearing the image of an animal which is the guns self-contained moving target; the forward end of said pivotal forestock serving as a normal support for the gun and also as a means of moving said target by pivoting said forestock to right or left.

3 4 2. A toy gun as recited in claim 1, said pivotal fore- References Cited by the Examiner stock expanded on its rearward extremity into a lateral arc, said are bearing a set of V teeth, said V teeth UNITED STATES PATENTS positioned beneath said plastic target sheet said V teeth 648,716 5/ 1900 Werner notched in a vertical plane, said arc extending the full 5 652,427 6/1900 1 12 length of said curved plastic sheet; said visual projectile 1,514,559 1 9 4 Montalbano 273-101 assembly containing a V tooth, said tooth positioned 95, 9/ 4 l' it a 273101 beneath said plastic sheet containing said spot so that 2,905,468 9/1959 Ellman 273-101.2

when in a fired position, said tooth registers with a notch in the aforesaid arc of said pivotal forestock, thereby 10 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. locking said pivotal forestock, and said target sheet in DELBERT B LOWE Examiner that position. 

1. IN A TOY GUN, A VISUAL-PROJECTILE ASSEMBLY, A SCOPE EXPANDED THROUGH ITS MID-SECTION TO ACCOMMODATE THE LATERAL MOVEMENT OF A SELF-CONTAINED MOVING TARGET, SAID VISUAL-PROJECTILE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A SHEET OF TRANSPARENT PLASTIC, SAID SHEET CONTAINING A "SPOT," SAID SHEET SO MOUNTED AS TO PIVOT FROM A HORIZONTAL POSITON TO A VERTICAL PORTION THROUGH A PLANE CONTAINING THE LONGITUDINAL PLANE OF SAID SCOPE, SAID PLASTIC SHEET HELD IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION BY THE GUN''S TRIGGER ASSEMBLY, AND, WHEN RELEASED (FIRED), SPRINGING INTO A VERTICAL POSITION WHEREUPON SAID "SPOT" IN VISIBLE THROUGH SAID SCOPE, AND SUPERIMPOSED THEREIN ON SAID MOVING TARGET; SAID SELFCONTAINED MOVING TARGET COMPRISING A PIVOTAL FORESTOCK, SAID FORESTOCK PIVOTING THROUGH A HORIZONTAL PLANE ABOUT A RETAINING RING MOUNTED IN THE BODY OF THE GUN PROPER. SAID FORESTOCK OFFSET UPPER AND PROJECTING INTO THE BODY OF THE GUN TO THE REAR OF THE PIVOT POINT, THE REAR END OF SAID PROJECTING FORESTOCK CARRYING A CURVED SHEET OF TRANSPARENT PLASTIC, SAID PLASTIC SHEET MOUNTED IN A VERTICAL PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANE OF SAID PIVOTAL FORESTOCK, SAID PLASTIC SHEET BEARING THE IMAGE OF AN ANIMAL WHICH IS THE GUN''S SELF-CONTAINED MOVING TARGET; THE FORWARD END OF SAID PIVOTAL FORESTOCK SERVING AS A NORMAL SUPPORT FOR THE GUN AND ALSO AS A MEANS OF MOVING SAID TARGET BY PIVOTING SAID FORSTOCK TO RIGHT OR LEFT. 